Found in a car boot – tragic Harshita Brella (Image: PA)
The devastated family of body in the boot bride Harshita Brella have vowed they will “never forget you till our last breath” in a tribute released to the murdered 24-year-old.
Ms Brella, 24, was strangled to death near her home in Corby, Northamptonshire on the evening of November 10 before her body was stashed in the boot of a silver Vauxhall Corsa and left abandoned in Ilford, Essex, the following day. The gruesome discovery was made by police on November 14 after relatives in India raised alarm that they could not contact her.
An inquest this week was told she had been “murdered by her husband Pankaj Lamba” who is believed to have fled overseas.
An international manhunt is underway to track down the fugitive who had previously been investigated for domestic violence offences against his young wife, who he wed in India earlier this year before moving to the UK in April.
In a tribute released through Northamptonshire Police on Friday, Ms Brella’s family, who live in Delhi, said: “Harshita, you left this world but you are still with us in our hearts and will always be there.
CCTV image showing Pankaj Lamba and Harshita Brella at Corby Boating Lake o (Image: Northampton Police)
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“We will never forget you till our last breath. Always stay with us.
“We miss you in every very moment of our life.”
The tribute came after Northamptonshire Police said detectives want to hear from people who were in the area around Corby Boating Lake, Cottingham Road and Westcott Way on the evening of November 10, and who may have dashcam footage or other information that could assist the investigation.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, from the East Midlands Special Operations major crime unit, said: “Our inquiries have established that Pankaj and Harshita were in the area of the boating lake on Sunday evening, and as part of our ongoing investigation we have carried out searches in the surrounding area.
“We know that it’s a busy part of the town and there will have been a lot of passing traffic.
“As such, we’re appealing to anyone who was in Corby between 6pm and 9pm on Sunday, November 10, specifically in the area around the Corby Boating Lake, Cottingham Road and Westcott Way.
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“If you have any dashcam footage, or other information that may be relevant to the investigation, however small, please contact us as soon as possible.
“Any information you have may help us piece together exactly what happened to Harshita and help bring her killer to justice.”
Police have released CCTV images of Lamba, 23, in east London after he is thought to have killed his wife before making his way to an airport.
At an inquest opening on Wednesday at Northampton Coroner’s Court senior coroner Anne Pember said: “The East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit have informed me that Harshita was murdered at her home in Corby by her husband Pankaj Lamba. Her husband is then believed to have fled the country.”
Ms Pember confirmed that the preliminary cause of death has been given as manual strangulation, pending further test results and told the hearing that the body has not yet been released.
The hearing was adjourned until May next year.
A neighbour revealed how she heard two blistering rows, involving one where a woman “sounded scared”, days before Ms Brella’s body was found.
A police spokesman confirmed Ms Brella had previously been the victim of domestic violence and was made the subject of a domestic violence protection order (DVPO) at Northampton Magistrates’ Court in September.
Northamptonshire Police have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of previous contact with Ms Brella.